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Highlands Today

McKeel Academy Runs Past Lake Placid

Mark Pinson/Highlands Today

Lake Placid senior guard Kaneisha Hamilton heads up the floor as McKeel Academy's Taylor Collins closes in during Saturday's Class 3A-District 10 championship game.

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By MARK PINSON Highlands Today

Published: February 9, 2009

LAKE PLACID - McKeel Academy guard Cappy Toney scored a game-high 28 points and forward Heather Smith added 16 to lead the Wildcats past Lake Placid by a score of 66-50 in the Class 3A-District 10 championship game on Saturday night.

Green Dragon senior guard Kaneisha Hamilton scored a team-high 11 points before being taken off the floor on a stretcher with a severe knee injury late in the second quarter.

Lake Placid trailed by only 12 points when Hamilton went down, but foul trouble, the teams combined for 32 fouls in the first half, and a thin bench proved too much for the Green Dragons to overcome.

"We played well for the first part of the game," said Lake Placid coach Shonda Legree. "But we got in foul trouble early and then when Kaneisha went down the girls had a hard time getting their focus back.

"I'm proud of the girls because they played as hard as they could in a difficult situation."

McKeel Academy will host a regional quarterfinal game next Thursday, while the loss sends the Green Dragons on the road to face district champion Melbourne Central Catholic.

"It looks like we won't have Kaneisha," said Legree. "But we've got to regroup and get ready to play a tough team on the road."

McKeel came out in a full-court press, which forced several Lake Placid turnovers that were converted into easy baskets as the Wildcats took a 14-8 lead heading into the second quarter.

Hamilton scored eight points and Stephiny Smith added four to help the Green Dragons stay close to a talented McKeel squad.

But Hamilton went down in a heap on a drive to the basket with 52 seconds remaining until halftime and with her went any hopes of an upset.

"The girls were crying and really concerned for Kaneisha," said Legree. "I talked to them at halftime and tried to get them to focus on the game, but it was difficult"

Lake Placid players came out in a fog to open the third period and Toney exploded for 14 points and Smith scored nine as the Wildcats opened up a commanding 56-24 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

To make matters worse, the Green Dragons had four players foul out of the physical contest in which more than 52 fouls were whistled.

"The fouls were ridiculous," said Legree. "If I hadn't brought up some of the girls from junior varsity, we would've had to finish the game with less than five players on the court."

Putting the loss behind them and getting ready for a talented Melbourne Central Catholic squad is a formidable task for the youthful Dragons.

"We have to forget about this loss," said Legree. "We have a few days to practice and make a few changes.

"We have to bounce back and play as hard as we can for four quarters and see what happens."

Mark Pinson can be reached at 863-386-5837 or mpinson@highlandstoday.com

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